Grand Theft!

The subject of today’s post has an important question underlying it: Do we want to live by the rule of law or the rule of might? It seems to me that if we want to live by the rule of law, we need to have generally agreed upon laws which apply to all people and all nations. The position the West has taken of being above the law is not going to engender respect and cooperation from the people and countries on which the laws fall most heavily. This post is about one example of the West trying to be above the law.

Theft is wrong, right? I always thought so, but it seems as if it isn’t where priceless antiquities are concerned. During the colonial era, countries such as England, France, and Germany used their positions of power in many regions of the world to grab antiquities and take them home to their museums. There has been a growing movement by the countries of origin to have their treasures returned.

There are many examples of countries working to have their property returned. One is Egypt’s efforts to have the British Museum return the Rosetta Stone to its country of origin. Another example is a unique bust of Nefertiti which is in a German museum. Egypt is leading a group of countries, all of which are trying to have their treasures returned from the countries which looted them.

One of the reasons given by former colonial powers for taking and keeping the treasures is that they are better equipped to preserve them. The story of the Elgin Marbles belies this reason. The Elgin Marbles are named for the Lord Elgin, the man who took them to England in 1801. They are stone statues taken from the Acropolis in Greece. They were taken for “safekeeping” to the British Museum. Attempts to clean them and make them shiny white have damaged them irreparably. For example, the makers’ tool marks have been scrubbed off, removing a valuable piece of information about the origin and method of creation of these marvels. Greece had to work from 1982 until 1999 even to be able to inspect the statues to confirm the extent of the damage.

England’s feeble justification for keeping the statues was that they belong not just to Greece but to the world. What does this mean? That England is somehow in the world, and Greece is not?

Throughout history, conquering armies have raped the women, killed the male children, and brought the spoils home. We could continue to live that way, or would we rather live in a world governed by laws which apply to everyone?

Anita McKay

8 Responses

How does these actions of the past, long declared illegal and improper, apply in today’s world? It seems it has been long decided that such actions are inappropriate and illegal, and are condined only by criminals and tyrants.

As my post indicated, many countries still have the antiquities they stole – both long ago and as recently as the 1980’s. Once everything is returned to the countries of origin, perhaps the outrage over the thefts can be put to rest. I would leave that to the harmed parties to decide.

Don’t those countries of origin have access to recognized International “Rules of Law” with which to determine property rights?

Many of the mistakes of human history have been reconciled and more continue to be addressed and questioned with hopes of eventual satisfaction. Generally, the world of today does try and live by a “Rule of Law”, for which there will always be exceptions. The willingness of mankind to address these exceptions seems like the key to solution.

Albert, I’m not sure which “mistakes of human history” you are referring to which have been reconciled. It is a fact that many antiquities are not in their country of origin. Decades of struggle by the rightful owners of the property have not yielded much progress yet. What would you suggest they try that they haven’t? I’m not sure which international rules of law you mean, or what mechanism for enforcement there is. I hope you will enlighten us.

I woke up this morning with the people of Iraq on my mind again and thought about the early days of the 2003 invasion when the museums and libraries were left unsecured and tremendous looting of the national historical treasures took place.

While the military was guarding the ministry of oil and access to such resources, the history and culture of the Sumerian cradle of civilization was being looted and sold to private collectors. Much of this cultural treasure has still not been recovered and we have lost important roots of a people that gave us so much richness.

So what “laws” protected the people of Iraq? How does scattered art and literature in the hands of private “collectors” help us to learn from and understand the people of the region and the society that among other things invented the mathematical concept of the zero? Can the loss and destruction of centuries of life and development ever be reclaimed?

You can take your pick of, “mistakes of human history” hard learned lessons have taught us not to repeat, libraries are full of examples. I never suggested, or for that matter expect, that all of histories mistakes have yet been discovered or reported, much less corrected, but mankind is not finished with the process yet.

Some of what has been lst may yet be found, unfortunately a lot is probably lost forever, the important thing is that most of these losses are now recognized as prohibited acts and, where possible, precautions are taken to minimize thier impact.

I seem to recall, Micki Lynn that much of the concern about the lost Iraqi artifacts, allegedly pillaged during the days of the Amerocan actions against Saddam, turned out to be, “much ado about nothing” as it was discovered that museum personnel had previously moved the bulk of these treasures to safe hiding, from which they were subsequently returned to their rightful locations. Apparently the actual damage done to the wealth of artifacts was actually minimal, which considering the events of the period, isn’t that bad at all and speaks highly of the common sense and dedication of those museum personnel.

For some reason you seem to always recall, and focus, on negative references to American actions, I wonder why that is? Since we seem to still be finding artifacts from thousands of years ago, it seems reasonabl eo anticipate some of today’s lost artifacts actually have thousands of years to be rediscovered.

Humankind, much like individuals or societies, makes mistakes which are often recognized as mistakes and subsequently makes adjustments or corrections to avoid repeating inappropriate actions or behaviors. What possible point is there in dwelling on past mistakes, when corrections have long been added to eliminate them.

BAGHDAD — Well over half the exhibition halls in Iraq’s National Museum are closed, darkened and in disrepair. And yet the museum, whose looting in 2003 became a symbol of the chaos that followed the American invasion, officially reopened on Monday.

Iraqis not invited to the opening gala could get only as close as the
wrought-iron fence surrounding the museum.

Thousands of works from its collection of antiquities and art — some of civilization’s earliest objects — remain lost.

The smell of fresh paint infuses the Room of Treasures, which even now is deemed safe enough for only photographs of the intricate gold and gem-studded jewelry made in Nimrud nearly 3,000 years ago, not the real thing.

Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki pushed to reopen the museum, against the advice of his own Culture Ministry, as a sign of Iraqi progress. Symbol it was, and symbol it remains — not only of how much Iraq has improved, but of how far it has to go.

“It was a rugged wave and strong black wind that passed over Iraq, and one of the results was the destruction that hit this cultural icon,” Mr. Maliki declared in a dedication ceremony that was shrouded in dispute and secrecy until the last minute. “We have stopped this black wind, and we have resumed the process of reconstruction.”

Yet the museum is only one institution in a place where little functions as it should — not electricity or even sewerage — nearly six years after the beginning of the war that toppled Saddam Hussein. The museum, like life here, may be more secure than at any other time since then, but it is not normal.

Heavily armed soldiers patrolled the museum’s roof and watched from
sandbagged redoubts as Mr. Maliki, other senior officials and foreign
diplomats arrived. Helicopters thudded in the sky, and the police blocked streets for miles around…

Re #6: I suppose I could take my pick of, as you call it “mistakes of human history” and look them up, but I don’t know what you’re referring to. An example or two might clarify your subject.

Perhaps I’m not understanding your point, but I’m hearing you say that antiquities being kept by countries other than the countries of origin is a thing of the past. It isn’t. The legal and political struggles are going on this very minute. I wonder why they haven’t been returned by the supposedly civilized, rule-of-law West.

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